The Process of a Trebuchet

Want to throw tennis balls at your friends? Have a bad Warning!

throwing arm and want to throw other random objects
at your friends with some extra force? Then this Tre-
buchet is the thing for you! Trebuchet is a compound
machine that uses counterweights, levers and a sling
that allows the user to throw objects across a desired
distance.
Before starting, make sure your saftey glasses are on and
secured, you have your apron on, and you are wearing
closed toed shoes.
Building the Base

Warning: Parental supervision required. Take caution Step 1: Take the two
with cutting and drilling . Dismemberment may occur. Long Frame Side
Rails and cut 3/8” off
Required Materials of both ends, only go-
ing half way through
• 42” of 3/8” Hardwood Square the block.
• 24” of 1/8” Hardwood Dowel Step 2: Take the two
• 12” of 3/16” Metal Rod Short Frame Sides and cut 3/8” off of both sides, only
• 6” Jumbo Craft Sticks going halfway through the block.
• Wood Glue Step 3: Take the Long Frame Side Rails and in the mid-
• Counterweight of choice dle of the piece of wood, only cutting halfway through
• Object to Throw the block, cut out a 3/8” piece.
• Power Drill Step 4: Place the two Long Frame Side Rails and the
• 1/8” & 3/16” Drill Bits Short Frame Sides together, having their counterpart
• Saw/Table Saw on the opposite side, forming a rectangle.
• Rubber Mallet Step 5: Take the Frame Crossmember and place it in
• Saftey Glasses the divot made from Step 3, leaving approximately 1”
• Closed Toe Shoes on the outside of the base frame.
• Clamps/Extra pair of hands
• A Small Nail Troubleshooting
• Thick thread
1. If the frame crossmember does not fit, make tiny
Required Parts adjustments to get it to fit.
2. Each piece should fit snug and flush. If they do not
• Two 6” for Long fit, make tiny adjustments
Frame Side Rails to get it to fit.
• Two 3” for Short
Frame Sides Building the Frame
• One 7” for
Frame Cross- Step 1: Prepare the Power
member Drill with a 3/16” drill bit
• Two 4.5” for Frame Extension Rails Step 2: Take the two Up-
• Two 4.75” for Uprights rights and drill a hole 1/2”
• Four 3.5” for Long Diagonal Supports into he bottom of an end of
• Two 2.5” for Short Diagonal Supports each piece of wood.
• Four 1” for Laugh Ramp Support Blocks Step 3: Clear the wood from Step 2; using the drill, to
• One 7.5” for Upper Arm the short end of the piece of wood, creating a U shape
• Two 2.25” for Lower Arms in one end of each piece of wood.
Step 4: On the other end of the Uprights repeat Step 1
from Building the Base.
Step 5: Prepare the Power Drill with a 1/8” drill bit.
Step 6: Drill a 1” hole in the center of the end of the
Short Frame Sides, going through the Long Frame Side
Rails.
Step 7: Cut over 1” of
the Wooden Dowel.
Step 8: Take the Rub-
ber Mallet and pound
the Wooden Dowel
from Step 7 into the
hole made in Step 6.
Step 9: Cut off the ex-
cess wood with a Saw.
Step 10: Take the two Frame Extension Rails, the four
Long Diagonal supports and the two Short Diagonal
Supports, and cut the corners off of each end at a 45
degree angle, making a trapezoid.
Step 11: Take the four Launch Ramp Support Blocks
and cut one corner off at a 45 degree angle.
Step 12: Center the two Frame Extension Rails onto
the Long Frame Side Rails with the short side facing
up.
Step 13: Place the Uprights with the “U” facing up,
against the Frame Extension Rails.
Step 14: Place two of the four Launch Ramp Support
Blocks up against the Uprights with the sloped sides
facing each other
Step 15: Take the remaining two of the four Launch
Ramp Support Blocks and place them where you
would want the back of the Trebuchet to be.
Troubleshooting
1. If the short launch ramp support blocks do not fit
wiithin the base, cut the tips slightly to make adjust-
ments.
Securing the Frame
Step 1: Take the four Long Diagonal Supports and
place them against the Uprights and to the ends of the
Frame Extension Rails to where the end of the slope of
the Frame Extension Rails and the end of the slope of
the Long Diagonal Supports meet.
Step 2: Take the two Short Diagonal Supports and
place them on the ouside on where the Frame Cross-
member hangs out.
Step 3: Make sure your Power Drill still has the 1/8”
drill bit
Step 4: Drill holes where each piece of wood connect,
just enough to where there is a hole in each piece of
wood.
Step 5: Cut the Wooden Dowel in increments of 1”
Step 6: Place each increment into the holes made from
the previous step
Step 7: Use the Rubber Mallet to pound each Wooden
Dowel into the holes for a secure fit.
Warning: Make sure you pound carefully and you don’t
split your pieces of wood.
Step 8: Use the saw to cut off any excess pieces.
Building the Arm
Step 1: Take the
two Lower Arms
and place them
halfway onto both
sides of the Upper
arm and using
the clamp or your
extra pair of hands, secure the three pieces together.
Step 2: Make sure your Power Drill has the 1/8” drill
bit.
Step 3: Drill a hole halfway through where the Up-
per Arm and Lower Arm connect, and go all the way
through to the other side of the three pieces
Warning: watch your fingers if you are using the extra
pair of hands
Step 4: Drill another hole towards the end of the two
Lower Arms going through to the other side.
Step 5: Place the Metal Rod through the first hole made
in Step 3, and cut off the ends leaving 1” on either side.
Step 6: Place the extra of the Metal Rod and place it Troubleshooting
through the last hole made in Step 4, and cut off the
pieces so it is flush with the end. 1. Depending on what your object you use you may
Step 7: Use the Wood Glue to secure the Metal Rod in have to up the weight of the counterweight.
each hole from Steps 5 and 6. 2. If the arm moves too much, you may have to use the
Step 8: Place the jumbo craft sticks to secure it down.
Arm made from 3. If the whole machine is moving, you
the previous steps haven’t secured the arm or the base enough.
into the “U” of the Go back through and check the points of
Upright. crossing.
Step 8: Take the 4. If the nail comes out, use wood glue to
Jumbo Craft Sticks secure it down.
and place them along 5. If the glue comes off, you may have to
the Launch Ramp use gorilla glue to glue it down.
Support Blocks.
Step 9: Cut the Jum- Endnotes
bo Craft Sticks to fit.
Step 10: Cut a Jumbo 1. Acceptable-risk, and Instructables .
Craft Stick in half and; using the Wood Glue, glue both “Wooden Desktop Trebuchet.” Instructables.com, In-
parts on the outside of the “U” of the Uprights to help structables, 12 Nov. 2017, www.instructables.com/id/
keep the arm from sliding. Wooden-Desktop-Trebuchet/.
Step 11: Cut the Jumbo Craft Sticks to make the con-
nection look neat. 2. Weber, Jean Hollis. “Ethics in Scientific and Techni-
Step 12: Take the Small Nail cal Communication.” Technical Editors’ Eyrie,
and using the Rubber Mal- WISENET, 29 July 2007, www.jeanweber.com/
let, hammer the hail into newsite/?page_id=22.
the tip of the Upper arm.
Step 13: Using the Rubber 3. McMurrey, David. “Online Technical Writ-
Mallet, hit the nail to form a ing: Process Discussions.” Online Technical
small hook. Writing: Process Discussion, Prismnet, 1 Jan.
Step 14: Cut off 7” worth of 2017, www.prismnet.com/~hcexres/textbook/
the Thick Thread proc.html
Step 15: Tie the thread onto
the end of the hook,
Step 16: Place the counterweight onto the Metal Rod
placed on Step 6, above.
Step 17: Choose your desired item to throw.
Step 18: Have fun!